As Zaratul spoke, Klein felt the threads of his spiritual body being eroded and manipulated bit by bit. He attempted to control Qonas, only to realise that the connection had already been severed. As for the Traveler's marionette—
It slipped out of his control once again, just like that time in the foggy town.
A chill surged through Klein's heart. So he truly had been controlled by Zaratul back then as well!
But at that moment, the marionette—whose face had originally been devoid of expression—suddenly curled its lips ever so slightly, as if revealing a smile. Behind it, a massive phantom of interlocking gears materialised.
Creak…creak…
With those strained grinding noises, the ancient gears began to turn clockwise, and their aim locked directly onto Klein.
The next second, Klein's aura surged wildly. It felt as if someone force-fed countless streams of information straight into his mind. After a brief moment of dazed confusion, he realised that several new Beyonder abilities had appeared in his head—he had become a Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore!
His heart was filled with questions—questions about the out-of-control marionette, as well as confusion regarding his own state. But he understood it was not the time to think.
Hastily, he manipulated his spirit body threads and tore himself free of Zaratul's control. Then, drawing on the "knowledge" that had been forcibly instilled in him, he skillfully grabbed twice at the void in rapid succession.
Two figures were swiftly outlined midair.
One figure had bronzed skin, a medium build, black hair, and brown eyes—Azik Eggers. Yet unlike the Mr. Azik Klein knew, this projection carried an indifferent gaze, wore a deep-black robe embroidered with golden thread, and had a bird-shaped crown of pure gold resting atop his head, as if he were gazing down upon all living beings.
The other figure had no head and carried four beautiful female faces in her hand—Miss Messenger.
Klein abruptly becoming a Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore was clearly beyond Zaratul's expectations. Still, the other responded quickly. Zarath also grabbed several times at the void and pulled out three figures:
William Augustus I.
A witch robed in purple.
And a man in exquisitely ornate garments with soft, chestnut-colored, wavy hair—Emperor Roselle Gustav, in his prime.
While the historical projections summoned by both sides clashed, Klein hurriedly leapt into the Historical Void. Using this method, he finally escaped that bizarre cathedral.
Then, facing the mausoleum ahead, he made several popping "Pah-Pah" sounds with his mouth and consecutively fired multiple terrifyingly powerful Air Cannons. At the same time, he stole a glance toward the Traveler's marionette—only to realise it had vanished without him noticing.
"What in the world is happening?!"
An elderly voice suddenly rang beside his ear, "No one ever told you that you shouldn't get distracted during a battle—especially when you're facing a higher-sequence Beyonder of your own pathway?"
———
Inside a motel in the East Borough.
Edessak's hand, which held the quill, trembled more violently by the second. Blood gushed from his nose, mouth, eyes, and even his ears—bright, scarlet, unceasing.
"...This was truly unexpected. One of Klein's marionettes abruptly broke free of his control due to completely unknown reasons, then used a completely unknown ability to grant him Sequence 3 strength for a short period."
"This should have been advantageous to Edessak's plan, yet his mood grew unbearably heavy. There were too many unknowns, too many variables slipping out of his grasp. He could only comfort himself—so long as George III's advancement was disrupted, the result would still be good."
"Then another accident occurred. Trissy, who was supposed to be carried away by a wandering spirit-world creature from Mausoleum No. 1 of Backlund, broke free for reasons unknown. Instead, she seized the opportunity and successfully advanced to Sequence 4—Demoness of Despair."
"At this moment, she had only one thought. No matter why she ended up here, there was only one thing she needed to do…and that was to destroy the mausoleum as much as possible—even if it cost her own…"
Edessak's grip tightened around the quill, stopping it from writing on its own. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to write:
"Trissy recalled the days when Edessak had imprisoned her—how she, a man, had woken up every day in another man's bed!"
"She suddenly recognised with clarity just how foolish her actions were! This was not love—this was humiliation, a humiliation orchestrated by someone else! She could not help reflecting: after she had finally broken free of the arrangement and gained a chance to live again, why would she once more plunge into someone else's scheme and risk her life for a man who ruined her, a man who disgusted her?!"
"So she awakened. She would flee…"
Just as he finished writing the last letter of the word "flee," the quill suddenly struggled free from his grip and began writing furiously on its own:
"Danger! Danger! Danger! A powerful and unknown existence is approaching!"
"I understand now. It sent Trissy to the mausoleum from the beginning just so that the foolish and laughable Edessak would be unable to stop himself from interfering and forcibly altering the plot—thus giving it the opportunity to locate Edessak and the Quill of Azuhod!"
"You've fallen for it! Edessak, you've fallen for it! Run! Hurry and run! He's here—He's coming to catch us!"
"A spirit-world creature that happened to pass by and happened to be friendly toward Edessak appeared and carried Edessak away from Backlund, taking him deep into the Spirit World, taking him to…"
Edessak lifted the quill and said coldly, "No. Before George III fails, I will never leave Backlund."
"Idiot! Fool! If you die, don't drag me down with you!"
The Quill of Azuhod struggled violently between his fingers, trying to write these words itself, yet it failed to seize control. Edessak continued writing:
"The Lady Sloth from the Psychology Alchemists, out of acknowledgement for the vote's result and out of consideration for her own undisclosed purposes, decided to step forward and assist Edessak."
"Several powerful spirit-world creatures who harboured deep dislike for George III and had been hiding in the Spirit World also decided to emerge and protect Edessak until George III's advancement ritual failed!"
"The secret mausoleum downstream of the Tussok River, after enduring the battle among multiple angel-level historical projections, finally could no longer withstand the destruction and collapsed with a thunderous crash. Another of George III's mausoleums was destroyed…"— struck out.
"An unexpected enemy appeared—He's Son of God from the Rose School of Thought from the Southern Continent, Abomination Suah!"
Just as he was writing fervently, Althea suddenly walked in.
"You really are impossible," she said. "Using the Quill of Azuhod in front of me to arrange for me to help you."
"I only wanted to sit back and watch the show quietly. Truly troublesome."
Edessak turned his head. "I don't believe you have no motives at all for doing this. Anything related to me can only be either George III or this quill. If you also bear a grudge against George III, then naturally you should help me. And if what you want is this pen, I beg you to wait a little longer. After I finish taking my revenge on George III, I will offer it to you with both hands."
Althea—or rather, Amon—took out a crystalline monocle, placed it over his right eye, and a playful smile surfaced on his face.
"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. I'm not interested in George III, nor in the Pen of Alusuhod. I told you…I simply want to watch the show."
Saying that, He turned to the side.
"What do you think, Lilith?"
A small figure appeared. Lilith raised a brow at Amon. "So that's why you suddenly disappeared without a trace recently. Turns out you ran off to the Psychology Alchemists."
"I really don't understand what you're trying to do. What exactly is the purpose of this game you're playing?"
"Just watching the show would fit your personality well enough…but I simply don't believe that's all."
Amon chuckled. "Then that only means you don't understand me well enough…"
Lilith cut him off. "Enough. I don't care what you're plotting. I only want that quill. Are you planning to stop me?"
"Me? Of course not. But…whether the other person here will stop you, that I don't know."
Rustle, rustle.
Edessak's quill suddenly wrenched itself from his control and rapidly wrote several words across the page:
"Adam has arrived."
Adam, wearing the humble garb of an ordinary priest, stepped out of thin air. His expression remained as calm as ever, yet his eyes carried a faint shade of indistinct pity.
He first nodded slightly toward Lilith in greeting, then turned toward Amon.
"No wonder I could never locate the Quill of Azuhod. So you were the one meddling behind the scenes. What are you trying to do?"
Amon held his monocle with an aggrieved look. "Paranoid Zealot, why do even you insist I must have some ulterior motive?"
Adam simply gazed at him, silent.
A moment later, Amon spread his hands. "Fine. I just want to throw everything into chaos—the messier, the better—and then fish in troubled waters to obtain the Sefirah Castle and become the Lord of Mysteries."
"Satisfied now?"
Lilith curled her lips. "Who doesn't know that? Amon doesn't speak a single honest word."
"???"
Amon blinked. "Then why do you still ask me?"
Adam suddenly said, "Lilith, let go of the Quill of Azuhod."
Almost simultaneously, the "other Lilith" manifested beside Edessak. Her fingers had already closed around the quill. But Adam's voice carried a certain irresistible force, compelling Lilith to release the pen she had just secured.
"What a shameless pathway."
Lilith snorted. With a wave of her hand, the entire room rotated violently, flipped upside down, and plummeted toward the Mirror World. She lunged toward the quill.
But at that moment, several pale and slender hands emerged from both sides, blocking her path. Lilith's fingers twitched, unleashing invisible threads that instantly sliced the hands apart.
Yet just as she reached for the quill again, the Mirror World shattered. They were back in the motel room, and Lilith's position had been swapped with Adam's.
Adam reached out and pinched the quill still held in Edessak's hands.
By now, blood flowed profusely from all seven of Edessak's orifices. His hair had withered dry like ash. Clenching the quill with all his remaining strength, he rasped, "Please…please…give me just…a little more time."
Adam spoke softly.
"The Quill of Azuhod may be called a so-called Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, but it ultimately has limits. To rely on it alone to influence multiple angels and demigods at once, to halt the advancement of a King of Angels of a pathway into godhood…even I cannot accomplish that."
"If you continue writing, the only thing that awaits you is death."
Edessak smiled.
"How would I know…if I don't try?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.